This blog is divided into two sections. The first deals with experiences in rescue/placement of homeless cats and dogs. The latter focuses on the treatment of wildlife in our city parks, specifically, Canada geese. These birds have recently been targeted by government officials for a 2/3rds "reduction" in population. Thousands have been cruelly rounded up and gassed in NY over the past several years. This is an issue that cries out for address and is covered substantially in this blog.

About Me

"Enter all the information about yourself that you want others to know."
What do I want others to know about me? Interesting question.
The answer will be less complex and likely to be discovered in the
context of the blog.
One's self is found in one's writing and doings in life (I suppose) as
opposed to what one says about one's self.
For now (9-08) simply to update the picture. -- My beautiful dogs,
Tina, Chance and me.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Latest wildlife carnage by USDA Wildlife Services: 60 Canada geese and their goslings captured and slaughtered from Candlewick Lake, Illinois. Question: Why would a community choose death for their wildlife over non-lethal resolution of conflict offered by the Humane Society of the United States?

In still one more startling and illuminating example of USDA Wildlife Services acting more like a for-profit, private extermination company than a governmental agency, comes this news out of Poplar Grove, Illinois:

Despite being offered assistance from The Humane Society of the United States to humanely manage its goose population, the homeowner's association of Candlewick Lake, apparently elected instead to enter into contract with WS to have all its 60 geese and goslings rounded up and exterminated. (Something that on the face of it, makes little sense.)

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What this particular wildlife massacre has to do with helping to insure "airline safety" or protection of "agriculture" is anyone's guess.

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Rather, what the scant evidence suggests, is that USDA Wildlife Services derives a good deal of its revenue from entering into wildlife killing contracts with private entities and associations for purposes of human convenience and seeming profit.

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Such is not truly the role of a federal governmental agency. -- Especially when other private or non-profit agency has otherwise offered assistance to the affected community.

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It is not clear from the above article (which is mainly a press release from HSUS) if the residents of Candlewick Lake were fully informed and knowledgeable that the 60 geese and their babies would be captured and killed by USDA and if that is in fact, what they wanted.

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Considering how WS has misled other communities into believing captured animals would be "humanely relocated," it is possible the Home Association was likewise deceived.

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It seems most communities, if having a choice between non-lethal solution to wildlife conflicts (as proposed by HSUS) and lethal ones (performed by WS) would choose non-lethal first.

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There is obviously much that is not known about this particular goose massacre conducted by WS and so far, only one media outlet has reported it at all (and that based on the HSUS very brief press release).

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Apparently neither USDA WS or the Home Association issued their own press releases or Community Notifications and no reporter has bothered to (so far) investigate.

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But, for sure if goslings were present in the roundup (as reported) then it is highly unlikely that any established, non-lethal measures for goose control were tried first and rather the first solution as put forth and enacted by USDA WS was extermination.

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This, once again is contrary to the common WS claims of trying to solve wildlife conflicts through "non-lethal means" before resorting to lethal ones. Rather their motto seems to be, "Kill first and answer questions later."

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It is hoped that further investigation into this incident occurs that might bring greater enlightenment to exactly why these 60 geese and goslings died. (Did the Home Association actually want the geese dead? Were residents of the community informed of the lethal plan and did they have any say? Were any non-lethal measures attempted first?)

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Unfortunately, if anything like New York City, the deaths of these 60 geese and their goslings from Candlewick Lake will go uninvestigated, unreported and ultimately, unknown to most of the members of the community.

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

So, so very sad. Unfortunately, this is happening all over and the public must be made aware of who the USDA/WS is and exactly what they are doing to our wildlife. I can't believe that given a humane solution to this "perceived" problem,anyone would choose to kill these innocent creatures. The USDA/WS will say anything to obtain a contract for profit.